Dr. Charles Morin to be the first recipient of Distinguished Lecturer Award in Sleep Sciences 

From The Canadian Institutes Of Health Research (CIHR) – Institute Of Circulatory And Respiratory Health (ICRH) and the Canadian Sleep Society (CSS)

Charles M. Morin, PhD has been selected as the first-ever recipient of the Distinguised Lecturer Award in Sleep Sciences in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the advancement of sleep sciences in Canada. This award, established by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) – Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health (ICRH) and the Canadian Sleep Society, (CSS) is the first of it's kind and will be awarded every two years.

“I am deeply honored to receive this award,” states Dr. Morin. “It is with great pride that I accept it on behalf of my entire research team at Laval University in Quebec City. I am very grateful to the CIHR-ICRH and the Canadian Sleep Society for the establishment of this new distinguished sleep scientist award, which is a formal recognition of the critical role that sleep medicine/sleep research play in promoting global health.”

Charles M. Morin, PhD, is Professor of Psychology and Director of the Sleep Research Centre at Université Laval in Quebec City.  He holds a Canada Research Chair on behavioural sleep medicine. He has been a pioneer in the development and validation of psychological approaches for the management of insomnia and has been at the forefront of knowledge dissemination and translating research findings into practical/clinical applications. Morin developed and validated a behavioural program to facilitate discontinuation of sleep medications among chronic users. This program has been adopted in sleep and health-care clinics, not only in Canada, but in several countries where long-term use of psychotropic medications is a common public health problem. His research has contributed to enhancing the standards of clinical care and improving the health and quality of life of millions of individuals affected with insomnia.

He has maintained an outstanding productivity throughout his career with more than 300 publications and 600 papers presented at scientific and professional conferences.

The exceptional quality of Professor Morin’s contributions to the fields of psychology, social sciences and behavioural sleep medicine has been recognized with several prizes and awards from scientific and professional organizations including more recently, the Distinguished Scientist Award from the Sleep Research Society (2016), the highest honor given by this society for significant, original and sustained contributions to the field of sleep research. He was elected to the Royal Society of Canada (2015) and received the Prix Marcel Vincent de l’Association francophone pour le savoir (ACFAS) for exceptional contributions to Social Sciences (2012).  

Dr. Morin will receive the award during the Opening Ceremony of World Sleep 2019, where he will also give a keynote lecture as part of the scientific program. World Sleep 2019 will be held in the Vancouver Convention Centre in Vancouver, B.C. from September 20–25, 2019, with the Opening Ceremony taking place on Sunday, September 22, 2019.